Anyone who knows me well, knows my love for animals. So it may come to a surprise to hear that I attended an Okinawan bullfight today. These bullfights are not like those in Europe (so I'm told - I've never seen one in person). The Okinawan bullfight actually starts very ceremoniously. The boys pictured below are purifying the pathway for the bulls with salt.
Then the bulls are brought out. The defending champion is marked with a red ribbon tied to the tail and the challenger wears a white ribbon. They are brought into the ring and face each other, their trainers standing close by.
Then, the giant bulls lock horns and push. The trainers stamp their feet and shout to cheer their perspective bull to victory. The bull who pulls away from the fight is considered the loser of the match. It's pretty amazing to watch these giant beasts push against each other. I did get nervous that they'd poke out each other's eyes, but it didn't happen in any of the rounds we watched.
The place was packed! You can see how full it was in this photo.
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When the winner is determined, the bull is dressed up and a child is seated upon him to hail victory. Then, there's cheering, music is played, and we'd wait for the next pair to come out and fight.
And now, some photos for fun. Tom becomes brave an not only approaches, but touches a moaning, foaming-at-the-mouth bull. Tom is crazy.
Here's part of our group posing for a group shot with a random Japanese guy (back, center). We congrated in this one area and hung out here for awhile. This Japanese man never moved over even though our group was right there. He stayed put the entire time. He kept his back to us and just watched the bullfighting. So, we decided that he had to be included in the group shot.
Lastly, I had to include a photo of the sewer covers from this town, known for this sport.
